The river isn't the only thing overflowing in Hunsford when a natural disaster forces Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to work together. The residents of flood-stricken Hunsford, seeking refuge in the parsonage atop the hill, are unaware they are interrupting Darcy's disastrous proposal. Even worse, the flood has washed out the only bride to Rosings Park, stranding Darcy with the woman who has just refused his offer of marriage. But it may already be too late to redeem Elizabeth's reputation.

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Publisher's Summary

Trapped for three days by a flood, and trapped forever by society because of it....

The river isn't the only thing overflowing in Hunsford when a natural disaster forces Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to work together. The residents of flood-stricken Hunsford, seeking refuge in the parsonage atop the hill, are unaware they are interrupting Darcy's disastrous proposal. Even worse, the flood has washed out the only bride to Rosings Park, stranding Darcy with the woman who has just refused his offer of marriage. But it may already be too late to redeem Elizabeth's reputation. In this Pride and Prejudice variation, the lane dividing the Hunsford parsonage from Rosings Park has been replaced by one of the flood-prone Kentish rivers. The storms are real - the spring of 1811 was remarkable for numerous thunderstorms in Southeast England.

I always feel like I have to start with a disclaimer, I LOVE all Abigail Reynolds' stories, no, we are not related, she is just an amazing writer. In Mr Darcy's Refuge the P&P story is assumed the same as the orginial up to the point Darcy goes to make his first, horribly done proposal. At that point all hell breaks loose due to a flood, they are stuck together, Elizabeth is bascially put into a situation where she has little choice but to eventually except Darcy's proposal. Well, you know that it isn't going to be that easy! Without giving away the story, several of the usual characters, ie Mr Bennet, Col Fitzwilliam, and with the addition of Lord Matlock and to some extent later, Lady Matlock all play into the back story between the characters and the current impediment to Darcy and Elizabeth. There are truly some really interesting twists to normal characters that we are used to, even Bingley and Jane are transformed outside of their norm but their story is not a large part of this story.

As usual I am always amazed how Ms Reynolds comes up with all these clever ideas. I hope she never stops, I just enjoy them too much, If the secret can be kept, this is still not my favorite story of Ms Reynolds library of work, if/when that one is made into audio I will simply have to jump up and down and squeal with delight!

What did you love best about Mr. Darcy's Refuge: A Pride & Prejudice Variation?

In a book, such as this, where so much is borrowed from another text, it is often hard to be surprise, however, Mr. Darcy's Refuge has several changes that were surprisingly well conceived and extremely refreshing.

It has been some time since I have read either the original or one of the many variations, but I found myself being immediately drawn to Elizabeth and Darcy and hoping that they would once again realize just how wonderful their lives could be together if they would just put aside their pride. :)

What did you like best about this story?

This version had less of Kitty, Lydia, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Collin, and Lady Katherine De Bourgh, and I am truly grateful. Of course they were not missing entirely, however they were not as obtrusive and so the story had far less whining and far less verbal baggage. For those who like the incessant whining of Elizabeth's sisters and the sharp tongue of Lady De Bourgh, these qualities have been passed on by others and because they are relative new comers it is fun to hear their side of the story.

Have you listened to any of Pearl Hewitt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Several of the characterizations were over done, but did not distract from the overall performance.

Any additional comments?

A possible spoiler, well not really, let's face it: we are talking about Darcy and Elizabeth - Reynolds does not shy away from the passion of the wedding night, it is intense and mildly graphic. However, it is in fact just the one scene and was completely appropriate for the newlyweds.

There are mixed reviews on this book and my review is far from a 5 star. I have read other 'Pride and Prejudice' variations and this is the one I have liked the least.

I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, however, as the plot began to untangle I liked it less and less as a 'Pride and Predjudice' variation. I believe I would have liked it more if It wasn't a 'Pride and Prejudice' variation and Abigail Renyolds had changed the character names and not promoted it as so.

I switched between reading it to listening to it on audio to help finish the story.

Many of the characters were so out of character from Jane Austen's timeless classic. It was hard to imagine the characters I have come to know and love in this story, in particular Mr Bennett. I did not like the end of the story.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I did not mind the Narration, however, I only listened to part of the story and read the rest.

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